NEW ORLEANS — NFL’s schedulers always find a way to send the Atlanta Falcons to the Superdome for landmark games.
In 2006, for the first one played in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the visitors were flattened by an emotional freight train.
Now comes Sean Payton’s return from his bounty ban before a fan base that has eagerly awaited the chance to cheer for the club’s only championship-winning coach in a meaningful game.
And by regular-season standards, a game with the Falcons is as meaningful as it gets for the Saints.
“The city is very excited. We’re very excited and it’s going to be a special game,” Saints tight end Jimmy Graham said. “I would say definitely it’s one of the most significant games we’ve started with.”
Saints players are careful not to make direct comparisons between the first game after Katrina with Payton’s first game back. Of course they are different. Still, there is a convergence of factors that spike the level of excitement for Sunday’s regular-season opener between a proud Saints team trying to bounce back from the 7-9 season they endured while Payton was away, and a rival
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